News

Flip pancake oil into 'green' fuel

10
Mar
2011

Cooking oil used to create tasty pancakes and other treats can be transformed into ‘green’ electricity and help power homes.

The store cupboard essential can be taken to any of Leicestershire County Council’s 14 recycling and household waste sites where new, lime green containers have recently been installed to collect the oil.

All cooking oil is collected by renewable energy provider Living Fuels and refined into a biofuel, and used to create green electricity in dedicated generators across the UK.

Over the last 12 months, 11.5 tonnes of oil was recycled at the sites – this works out at 12,500 litres.

Just one litre of the green fuel produces enough electricity to make 240 cups of tea or run a washing machine at 40Â°C for eight cycles.

Many householders often throw used cooking oil down the sink but this can cause drainage and environmental problems – water companies spend over £15million a year cleaning up fat, oil and grease.

Tony Kershaw, County Council Cabinet Member for Waste Management, said: "People are often unsure what to do with used cooking oil and I’m sure many will be surprised to hear it can be transformed into a green fuel.

“We have a good track record in recycling and are the top performing area in the country but we’re keen to further cut the amount of rubbish sent to landfill. As well as boosting the environment, this saves money too.”

Daniel Gillert, commercial manager for Living Fuels, said: "œOnce refined, the biofuel, named “˜LF100”, has huge potential, just one litre generates enough clean electricity to make 240 cups of tea, while one tonne can provide enough to power the average home for an entire year. Using this process to create electricity vastly reduces carbon emissions, meaning that everyone can play a part in building Britain"s renewable energy future."

At this time of year, all 14 recycling and household waste sites are open from 8am until 6pm. People can recycle a variety of household items there, including electrical goods, scrap metal, clothes and garden waste, as well as dispose of household rubbish.

Every year, they handle more than 100,000 tonnes of materials and currently more than 70 per cent of this is recycled or re-used.

For more information please visit www.leics.gov.uk/waste or call the County Council on 0116 305 0001.